Attack the Block (2011)

A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.

Director:

Joe Cornish

Writer:

Joe Cornish

Stars:

John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 20 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jodie Whittaker	...	Sam
John Boyega	...	Moses
Alex Esmail	...	Pest
Leeon Jones	...	Jerome
Franz Drameh	...	Dennis
Simon Howard	...	Biggz
Maggie McCarthy	...	Margaret
Danielle Vitalis	...	Tia
Paige Meade	...	Dimples
Gina Antwi	...	Dionne
Natasha Jonas	...	Gloria
Sammy Williams	...	Probs
Michael Ajao	...	Mayhem
Luke Treadaway	...	Brewis
Flaminia Cinque	...	Italian Woman

Storyline

Attack the Block follows an unlucky young woman and a gang of tough inner city kids who make an unlikely alliance to try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an intergalactic war-zone.

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Plot Keywords:

eaten alive | green blood | pheromones | marijuana joint | tower block | 

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Taglines:

Inner City vs. Outer Space

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Napad na kvart

Filming Locations:

Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,133,859 (United Kingdom), 15 May 2011, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$137,580, 31 July 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,024,175, 25 September 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal,Film4,UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (DTS Digital Surround) SDDS (uncredited) Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The walkway chase set piece took ten days to shoot.

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Goofs

Pest appears to have a magical backpack. As the gang pulls out and uses all of his fireworks, more magically appear a minute afterwards.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sam: [on phone] Hi mum!

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Connections

Referenced in Blood and Guts with Scott Ian: Hell Boy: Monsters & Makeup with Spectral Motion (2013)

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Soundtracks

Youths So Cold
Written by Coxsone Dodd, Richell Bonner and Ozzy Osbourne (as John Osbourne)
Performed by Richie Spice
Courtesy of Massive B Records

User Reviews

The most fun I've had this year.

Old school dopeness. It's like Goonies meets Shaun of the Dead meets Independence Day. The whole alien invasion thing has been recycled as hell lately, but Joe Cornish found a way to make this thing feel so fresh and unique once again by containing it to such a unique setting and having this young group of hoodlums fighting back. None of it feels like it's been done before and as a result the film doesn't get dull for a second.

The less-than-90 minute running time is perfect for something this small, never letting us stop having fun in order to make time for pointless romantic subplots or unnecessary characters. There is never a dull moment in this, a film that I have no problem saying is the most fun I've had so far this year. Whoever cast these kids deserves some sort of medal because they are all fantastic and for most of them it's their first job. John Boyega in particular, in the lead role as the head of the group, is fantastic.

At first I was skeptical about the Jodie Whittaker character and her constant run-ins with the group but by the end I really embraced her dynamic with Moses and actually found myself getting surprisingly emotional at the end. The whole thing is just vibrant, exciting and so much intense entertainment. There are a solid amount of laughs throughout, but it's not even a film about trying to make you laugh or trying to scare you. It's just about having fun and it succeeds so admirably. It feels real old school and I loved every moment. Everyone should watch this.